It was a bright sunny day,
our boat down the water area of Taka Makassar in Komodo National Park, Flores.
The sea was very calm on that day, we saw dark shadows on the ocean, manta ray!
I immediately took my fins and plunging down.

The Komodo ocean water was
cold on that sunny day, I have only been in the water for a while, I was
immediately faced with one manta ray swimming around in circles in this area.
We saw some other mantas in front of us and directly pursue the
"seabird" which looks very elegant.

Unlike the stingray, manta
ray does not have a "thorn" with a sting in its tail, we can swim
with manta rays and sometimes manta rays let us swim very close to them, but
always remember not to touch them at all, ok? ;)

Among the pack of manta
rays, there is one black manta, a manta ray with black color that looks
different from others for its black dominant color, with cephalic lobe (the
part on both sides of the mouth) and the bottom of the body which color is
white. The whole body of black manta is dominated by black color, there are
only a few white pattern on his lower body.

Black manta is also larger
than the other manta, dealing with black manta and paying attention to its
graceful body movements is so amazing. It's a really perfect day, sunny
weather, the sea is clean and clear, and manta ray who "welcomed" us.
All we want is just to stop time so we can play with them a whole day :)

This visit to Manta Spot is my best manta ray
experience, universe has been so kind to us.. until we meet again, manta rays!

Entering
Ouchi-Juku reminds me of Shirakawa-Go, a traditional Japanese village with the
main attraction in the form of existing homes. Roofs of houses in Ouchi-Juku do
not form a triangle gassho-zukuri style, but the building materials and thick
roofs makes the traditional Japanese atmosphere feels nice in the village of
Shimogo, Fukushima Prefecture.

In fact, ever
since arriving at the Yunokami Station Onsen, I had immediately enjoyed the
traditional atmosphere. The station is left in the form as the same as it was
in the past, the fireplace set for cooking turned into a fun display that
describes the atmosphere of the Japanese house in the past.

We came in the
summer and immediately greeted by blooming flowers, even before we arrived at
this Ouchi village. Elongated streets paved with traditional home ground on the
left and right road of Ouchi-Juku make it look neat, but interesting.

Interestingly, in
the summer, the residents of Ouchi-Juku cool bottled drinks in the drains at
the side of the road. The water is cold and fresh, so it makes drinks stay
fresh, and this is done since long before there was refrigerator technology :D

Various shops
that sell souvenirs and traditional items adorn the scenery as we drive around
Ouchi-Juku. However, one thing immediately caught our attention, someone in
traditional Japanese clothing with it's head covered! He's walking on foot
while playing a bamboo flute, an Ouchi-Juku traditional musician! He was really
excited when we told him that we're from Indonesia, maybe there are not many
Indonesians people who stopped by at Ouchi-Juku :)

We then continued
down the lengthwise street of Ouchi-Juku that leads to the hill. From the end
of the street we can climb the stairs to see this traditional village from
above, saw tourists who enjoyed a walk down the streets, stopping at various
shops and places to eat.

Even in the past,
Ouchi-Juku is a village that became a stopover location. Located on the trade
route of Aizu - Nishi Kaido, in between Aizu and Nikko so there are many
pedestrians who stopped by at Ouchi-Juku to rest, eat and shop for their travel
needs. Now Ouchi-Juku is still crowded, but not a stopover for traders in the
Aizu - Nishi Kaido, but has become the main attraction of tourists to enjoy the
atmosphere of the traditional Japan.

A visit to Ouchi-Juku will make you happy, will keep your eyes
glued to various interesting things, to various colors this small beautiful
town have since long time ago..

@marischkaprue - her colorful day in Ouchi-Juku became
perfect after an ice cream in a sunny day

NOTES

OUCHI-JUKU

Shimogo, Minamiaizu District,
Fukushima Prefecture

Japan

GETTING THERE

Nearest Station:
YUNOKAMI ONSEN Station

FROM TOKYO:

Tokyo Station to Koriyama Station
by Shinkansen Yamabiko (77 menit)

Koriyama Station to Aizu
Wakamatsu by JR Ban etsu West Line for Aizu Wakamatsu (66 menit)

Located in the northeast
area of the row of resorts and hotels in Sanur, The Samata is actually a bit
"hidden." Greenish paddy fields and the whoosh of a soothing sea
breeze makes this resort very convenient to enjoy the relaxation in Bali,
without the need to go too far.

The thing I like about The
Samata is how this resort seemed like my own property, because the inn are
mostly villas, visitors tend to prefer spending time at each villa so public
swimming pool area is always quiet and we could enjoy the pool for ourselves.

Although I wasn't able to
enjoy the villas yet (the villas were full booked during my visit), Ocean View
Suite unit which I occupied had a large area, totally spacious bathroom, two
different private terraces (my fav is the one with the pool view), wide bedroom
and personal breakfast in our room.